Security has been tightened in Jerusalem as Israeli troops moved further into the Gaza Strip as part of their ground operation in the enclave .

Access to the Old City and the al-Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem has been heavily restricted.

Anger and tension have been running high in the city with several arrests made by Israeli security forces.

“The Israeli people don’t treat us well. They invent reasons based on no truth to force us out of the city. It’s a way of turning us into slaves and make our lives more difficult. It’s this that leads to trouble,“claimed one Palestinian protester.

Women and men over 50 years of age are allowed into the restricted area. The rest of the population are banned from entering, which has forced people to pray on the street under heavy military surveillance near one of the ancient gates into Jerusalem’s Old City .

“Friday prayer had an angry hum to it. With access heavily controlled into the historic streets of the city and the al-Aqsa Mosque tensions have increased among a frustrated population,” said euronews correspondent in Israel Valérie Gauriat.